DEVOTES

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires EU Member States to take
measures to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in the marine environment by
2020. DEVOTES is developing tools to understand and describe biodiversity, food-webs
and seafloor integrity status at an European scale, including as many components of
the ecosystem as possible, providing the scientific knowledge, upon which appropriate
monitoring and management strategies under the new directive can be designed and made
available for managers.

Coordinator:

Angel BORJAFUNDACION AZTI/AZTI FUNDAZIOA, ESEmail: aborja[a]azti.es

Project

Topic

EU contribution

Duration

From

N° 308392

FP7-ENV.2012.6.2-3Innovative Tools for
Understanding and
Integrated Assessment of
Good Environmental Status
(GES) of Marine Waters

and measures for ecosystems' adaptive management.
During the first part of the project,
we have: (i) analysed the legislation barriers
preventing to achieve the GES (ii) collated
and analysed information on most promising
indicators, monitoring networks and modelling
tools; (iii) deployed new devices for benthic
metagenetic analyses (iv) participated in the
Ocean Sampling Day; and (v) proposed a new
operational definition of Good Environmental
Status. The advantages of the resulting technologies,
compared to those presently available,
will be EU harmonised methodologies and

internationally consistent application across
regional seas. The exploitation plan includes
the use of results of DEVOTES for scientific
(i.e. understanding of biodiversity responses
to pressures and climate change), technological
(e.g. monitoring tools, software), commercial
(i.e. potential uses of the findings), but also
for societal (i.e. societal participation in marine
conservation), and regulatory (i.e. new coherent
management tools for the MSFD) purposes.
DEVOTES is preparing new PhD researchers, as
this new piece of legislation is challenging for
marine scientists and managers requiring welltrained
staff. DEVOTES has led 3 sessions in
international conferences, 2 summer schools,
more than 10 publications and scientists contributed
with over 50 presentations in international
conferences.

DEVOTES covers the 4 EU Regional Seas, with
8 case studies which focus primarily on biodiversity,
which is one of the qualitative descriptors
identified in the MSFD to characterize the
Good Environmental Status. It also considers
food-webs and seafloor integrity descriptors
where they relate to the impacts of human
activities and climatic influences on biodiversity.
The project utilizes existing databases and
new data from national networks. Innovative
tools (e.g. remote sensing, ecological modelling,
metagenetics), together with socio-economic
approaches (cost-based assessment) and integrative
tools are being used.

DEVOTES European Added Value:

Member States should assess the Good
Environmental Status of their shared regional
seas as part of the MSFD. The added value of
DEVOTES primarily consists in a European concerted
research effort to reach this goal. DEVOTES
will provide integrative, harmonized and validated
tools and indicators able to be used across EU.
Non-EU countries (Ukraine, USA, Canada, and
Saudi Arabia) are also involved, giving to the EU
a lead role. DEVOTES is highly relevant to many
EU policies: MSFD, Water Framework Directive,
Habitats Directive, Maritime Spatial Planning,
Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Integrated
Maritime Policy, Common Fisheries Policy, and
Biodiversity Strategy 2020.